Afterlife
by ClockworkScales
Summary: A look into the afterlife of the Harry Potter characters. Cedric notices a snowy owl flying overhead. Afterward, the other recently-deceased characters follow on through. Spoilers for DH. ONE SHOT.


The hoot of a fluffy white owl can be heard in the clearing. Its wings flutter and land onto the arm of a tall, handsome boy; Cedric Diggory.

'Aren't you a pretty one?' Cedric asks the owl, stroking its white plumage. He looks at the creature, thoughtfully. 'Aren't you Harry's owl? Hedwig?'

The owl hoots sadly and Cedric brings up his middle finger to touch a spot in the middle of Hedwig's forehead. A vision appears before his eyes; Harry in the motorbike, a flash of purple light, wind and blurred colour rushing past the bars of the cage, and an explosion.

'Bother.' Cedric comments, straightening up, and peering at the bird admirably, an idea striking him like a Bludger. 'Would… Would you like to meet Harry's parents?'

The owl clicks its beak together and Cedric takes a step forward. They are surrounded by white light and then they are standing before James and Lily Potter, who blink at the sight before them, taking it in. Lily looks from Cedric to Hedwig and gasps.

'Oh, she's beautiful.' Lily exclaims, touching the bird hesitantly.

James grins crookedly. 'Count on Harry to get a bird like that.'

Cedric smirks and then frowns. 'Where's Sirius?'

As if he was summoned, Harry's godfather appears, scruffy as he ever was when he died, though peaceful. 'You called?' he looks around and frowns at the owl. 'You poor bugger.'

Hedwig flies over their heads and lands on the solid white ground. Hungry, it imagines a bowl of seeds and in a split second, a bowl of seeds appear before the owl. James, Lily and Sirius all watch the bird as it chews on its meal. Cedric explains how the bird arrived:

'Harry blew her up.' he says simply before letting out a laugh.

Sirius touches the owl's forehead, and Hedwig stares at him, upset that he had interrupted her meal.

'I guess they're in the midst of battle now, then. Damn it.' He clenches his fist. 'Why can't that bloody Dark Lord die already so we can just all go into our next lives together? I don't even see why we have to wait.'

James pats Sirius' back. 'Don't worry, Sirius, Harry'll kill him soon. You do want to see Harry again before we leave though, don't you?'

Lily smiles sweetly and Sirius nods his head faintly.

'We could always go check on what they're doing.' Cedric exclaims.

A puff of bright blue smoke surrounds a newly emerging figure and Dumbledore steps out of the mist, cleaning his glasses.

'It appears we have a new companion to join us… Come on, Alastor.'

White light blinds them momentarily as Mad-Eye Moody appears, looking disgruntled.

'Oh, dear God!' Sirius barks. 'You too?'

Mad-Eye Moody ignores him and eyes Hedwig.

'The other casualty is a bird? … What a way to go.'

James chuckles at his old friend's disapproval and he points to Moody's eye. 'You're missing an extra piece: your magic eye is gone.'

'Conveniently, I've discovered this new world is quite useful.' Moody grumbles, as if he is not all too pleased to be in 'this new world', and with a pop, the electric blue eye is in his eye socket again, swiveling around before settling down and looking at James.

'I could get myself my old eye, even my old skin back but heck! Where's Mad-Eye Moody without a few chips here and there?'

Cedric smiles at the Auror in awe.

'You look great. I heard that the other Moody wasn't really you- I'm sorry to hear that.'

James nudges Moody in the arm. 'Just in case you don't know, but the Order is sticking together through life and death, meaning, we're waiting until the others join us before we leave. That way, we can see how things work out for them, or, how things don't.'

'I'm staying and I'm not in the Order.' Cedric points out.

James waves an arm carelessly.

'Well, no one cares about you.'

Lily slaps her husband's shoulder.

'Don't listen to him! He's just messing around. You're welcome to stay, Cedric.'

Cedric catches Dumbledore's twinkling eyes and winks.

In each of their minds, speed moves at their own pace and soon they are all back on the same page as time has passed.

Abruptly, light blinds them and a group of people stand before them; Rufus Scrimgeour, Ted Tonks, Peter Pettigrew and Dobby, the Elf.

Rufus Scrimgeour looks nervously at the group and, evidently changing his mind, spins around, apparating to find someplace where he can be alone with his thoughts. Ted Tonks merely looks around at the group; his eyes brimmed with tears of happiness.

Peter Pettigrew takes one look at his stump of a hand and splutters; the loss of his powerful silver hand is both a relief and horror. Squeaking, he is astounded to see a new, real hand appear in the place of the stump. He looks, petrified, at the group standing before him and takes a few steps backward.

Dobby pulls a knife out of his chest and throws it onto the ground where it disintegrates. His wound heals over and he motions to the three.

'These three claim they are lost, friends of Dobby.'

Sirius frowns at the Elf, ignoring his statement. 'I didn't expect you to be the next one here. Who killed you?'

Dobby blinks and his eyes widen at the memory. 'It was Bellatrix Lestrange, sir. She attacked me whilst I was saving Harry Potter from the Malfoy Manor.'

'That bitch.'

'Who are you?' James turns to Ted Tonks, 'If you want to reincarnate just picture yourself leaving and you'll go.'

'I am the father of Nymphadora Tonks.' He says with relish, bowing in greeting.

Lily's eyes are wide. 'Wow, we never met you. Hi! I'm Lily Potter, and this is my husband, James. Sirius Black, here, is, well, was, Harry's Godfather.'

Ted Tonks bows. 'It's finally an honour to be meeting you, even if we are not exactly living.'

Cedric looks around for Pettigrew. 'Hey, that guy who grew a new hand is gone.'

Sirius shakes his head in disgust and breaths: 'Coward in life, coward in death.'

Ted Tonks and Dobby join the throng and experiment with their new life, at creating random objects, whilst Dumbledore informs the others of what is happening at each moment, peering into a pond which showed flashing pictures.

Moments pass and suddenly, another light flickers before them and Vincent Crabbe, Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks appear. Behind them is Colin Creevy who takes a few pictures with a camera.

'Oh my goodness I'm so excited! Death! I'll show pictures to everybody I see when I'm alive again! I'll become famous!'

'That won't go with you to the next life, stupid.' Cedric gives him a charming grin and, with a tinkling noise, the camera vanished into thin air.

Tonks runs into her fathers' arms and the two turn to face the others, Tonks glancing at her husband, Lupin, with a hopeful look upon her brilliant face.

'I'm terribly sorry.' Tonks says abruptly. 'But I need speak with my father alone for a moment.'

As Colin Creevy leaves to see if there were others around as Tonks and her father disappear. Crabbe, the Slytherin, is already gone, apparently too scared, intimidated, or ashamed to stay.

Remus Lupin beams at all of his friends and his look of exhaustion lifts as he leaves to talk with Sirius, James and Lily, speaking quickly. A few minutes later, although nobody notices, they all disappear. Dumbledore, looking in the pond, realizes that they have gone to aid Harry – summoned through the Resurrection Stone. A look of sorrow masks his face.

'Fred Weasley!' Cedric beams at the ginger haired man.

'Cedric!' Fred shouts, they pat one another on the back, cheerfully. Fred looks at Dumbledore who was staring into dark puddle. 'Oh, wow, Dumbledore! You're alive! But you'r'e dead too!'

'This is the afterlife, Mr Weasley.' Dumbledore nods, looking up at Fred, whose grin grows wider.

'Wow, the whole gang is here! Hedwig… and Mr and Mrs Potter – Hah! I never thought I'd ever hear myself saying Mr and Mrs Potter. This is so cool! Oh - and you'll never believe it; I died with a stupid little grin on my face! Now _that's_ going down in the Weasley family history. I must say, I'm really quite proud of myself, died laughing, even though it was kind of unexpected, it really pays off.'

Cedric laughs in disbelief. 'Really?'

'Yeah.' Fred scratches the back of his neck, dislodging a piece of glass. 'I dunno, some wall blew up and then I was dead.'

He snorts and Dumbledore looks at him over his half-moon glasses. 'Thank you for that… enlightening story, but I have been summoned elsewhere. Also, I must stop that Creevy boy from doing anything silly... Please excuse me.'

Nobody knows that he has gone to speak with Harry, whom, having just been hit with the _Avada Kedavra _curse, needed Dumbledore to speak with him, to guide him.

James and Lily, back from their moment with Harry, sit on a bench where trees have curled around them. Sirius, lies at their feet as a dog and Lupin lies against a tree in the grass.

Fred looks in awe.

'That's cool.'

Cedric agrees. 'Yeah, you can create whatever you want here.'

Fred stares at Cedric in amazement. 'Are you serious? Sweet, Merlin! I've gotta check this out.'

There is a pop and he disappears.

Cedric watches Hedwig fly onto a branch and preen herself.

Moody has long vanished and Ted Tonks and his daughter have finally re-appeared. Tonks speaks with Remus for a few moments, and, exchanging a warm hug, leaves again, saying she needed to spend time alone. Ted Tonks vanishes too, saying he will be with Mad-Eye Moody.

Cedric is in the middle playing a game of wizard chess with Sirius when there is another flash of light and Dumbledore returns, accompanied by another individual; Severus Snape.

Sirius, James, Lily and Cedric all stared at the man in silence, in shock.

'Do you have something to say, you fools?' Snape sneers miserably.

The puncture mark in his neck is gone, though no-one realizes this except Dumbledore. He had found Snape resting in a re-created version of Hogwarts, and comforted him, spoke to him and thanked him for his magnificent deeds alive.

Now, Snape was staring around at all of them weakly.

His eyes lingered on Lily for a moment and snap to James and Sirius' face. Then he strides past them a few thousand meters and lies on a patch of grass.

Dumbledore looks after the ex-Headmaster. 'He's surprised to see you all here but I'm sure that'll pass after awhile; he doesn't know what to say to you. Also, you all you need to know something about Severus Snape; he is not the enemy, in fact, without him, there is no way Harry would be alive today, he has been on our side, though under-cover, spying on Voldemort.' Dumbledore explains. 'He was killed by Nagini, at the mercy of Voldemort.' He frowns and then turns to Sirius. 'Also, I thought you might want to know that I saw Bellatrix Lestrange passing through a few hours ago.'

Sirius leaps up, ready to snap her head off.

'She already left to be reincarnated so I'm sorry to tell you, Sirius, that you can't kill her _again_. However, she did say hello to me for a moment.' Dumbledore chuckled at what was apparently an inside joke.

Fred appears next to Dumbledore with a pop, startling the rest of the Order. 'Is it true that she was killed by my own mom?'

'Why, yes it is - and brave Mrs Weasley fought her and beat her… I suppose she was emotionally deranged from losing you.' Dumbledore nods knowingly at Fred who hangs his head sadly, before perking it back up again.

'I heard she said "Not my daughter, you bitch!" because Bellatrix was after Ginny! How cool is that? I tell you, I've never been more proud of my mum. Bless her, I say.'

Cedric smirks. 'Good on her.'

Snape makes his way back towards them and stands in the circle, looking coolly at them. Sirius, James, Lily and Lupin all look at him.

'Perhaps now, you can all be friends.' Dumbledore breaks the silence and they all look at him, not speaking.

Snape's pale skin flushes when he catches Lily's beautiful green gaze. She approaches and whispers to him. The tall, sallow-skinned man nods and keeps his face blank as he disappears with Lily.

Minutes pass and more silence passes.

Albus Dumbledore, who has looked back into the dark pool, speaks up.

'I have some great news to announce. All Hogwarts teachers, students and Order members are summoned.'

A few seconds later Snape and Lily appear next to Dumbledore, followed by Dobby, Crabbe, Mad-Eye Moody and the rest of their deceased friends.

They all look at Dumbledore expectantly and he waves a hand towards to dark pond. 'It's happened.'

Colin Creevey piped up. 'What's happened? Is Harry dead!?'

They all return their gaze to the deceased Head Master.

'Voldemort has been defeated.'

Immediately, Sirius leaps up, the chess board disappearing and mugs of butter-beer appearing in all their hands.

Lily beams at Snape, who smiles back at her. She kisses her husband proudly on the lips. Colin Creevy's camera is back and is clicking like mad.

Tonks runs into Lupin's arms and they kiss each other eagerly, passionately.

Cedric and Fred punch the air and Mad-Eye Moody's eye swivels around in glee, as he yells in triumph. Crabbe looks sour for a moment and, smiling faintly at the Order, disappears in peace.

'Harry Potter did it!' Dobby squeaks happily.

Sirius lets out a barking laugh. 'Finally!'

Everybody clinks glasses and cheers, raising their glasses to The Boy Who Lived.

Hedwig hoots cheerfully and flies overhead and into a tree for her own celebration, a dead rat in her beak.

Cedric's face is split into a heart-warming grin and he lifts his glass to the bird. He looks at the remains his golden, frothy drink and it refills instantly. He takes a swig of the cool beverage and cheers with the others, marveling at the celebration, at freedom on earth and peace of mind for the long-reigning dark wizard: You-Know-Who, Voldemort and Tom Riddle, was never coming back.

* * *

**EDIT: After reading Deathly Hallows again I realized there were a number of mistakes so I've edited this story again to make it fit. I think this new version is a lot better and isn't as rushed as the other one.**

**A/N (before edit): I got inspiration for this one afternoon. I don't know why anymore but I thought it was a great idea for a fanfiction and I'm hoping nobody else has written something like this. I hope you enjoyed reading it as it was fun to write. Au revoir! ******


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